I was tempted to make this short and tell you just to call me.
It sounded great at first but you would all be wondering "what kind
of an arrogant fool is this guy?" Education can only help us all
and maybe keep you from call Uncle Fred, who used to reupholster
furniture, to recover your table. A pool table is really not the
same as a piece of furniture. Hopefully, you are not trying to get
the right english when you sit on your sofa.
Many establishments have invested a lot of time and money to earn
a good reputation with their billiards playing customers. To keep
that reputation you need to invest in the quality of your table
and its maintenance. There are quite a few individuals offering
recovery and maintenance services but not all of them understand
exactly what it takes to keep your table in professional playing
condition. While a seasoned player may be able to see and compensate
for defects in a poorly maintained table, a table that is cleaned,
groomed and has consistency of play will keep your pool players
happy and they in turn will keep the cash box full.
OK, this is where I really get my dander up. Bad rails will
create more problems than just about anything. They are the trickiest
part of the table to maintain and therefore are the place where
more shortcuts are taken. Quiz your recovery service about how they
handle rails before you let them touch your table.
When someone recovers your table, NEVER allow them to switch out
your rails. This might sound odd but it happens on many tables,
especially "Valley" and "Dynamo" brands due to their popularity
and universal nature. Sometimes a recovery service will have a
stock of rails at their shop, from a previous job, already
recovered. They simply switch them out at your place of business
using yours for the next guy. This would be fine if you knew that
the rail was in good condition to begin with. It saves time and in
the short run may save you money but your customers will notice
immediately if you've gotten a bad set. One bad league night can
shoot down your reputation. I have seen a new table with 30 year
old rails. Next time you have your table recovered, check to make
sure that the rubber is matching, look for a brand name on the
rubber. If you have a newer table you should not have mismatched,
crystalized, stapled out rails.
Another thing to look for is the type of cloth you are using. If
you have chosen a rubber backed cloth, the rubber must be peeled off
to recover the rails. This leaves a residue of glue on the back,
which melts the rubber after time causing it to get gummy and
then crystalize.
Finally, loose rubber on the rail block. This is often caused by
people sitting on the table or using the rail to pull themselves
up from a crouch position after racking the balls. However, a
healthy set of rail should handle this abuse fine if they have
been installed properly.
We have all heard the cry "the table isn't level". But is
it really out of level? There are other reasons that a table will
play as if it were not level. Before you mess with a perfectly level
table look at a couple of other things.
First, is your cue ball out of balance? To check for level, use an
object ball to roll across the table, NOT a cue ball. Cue balls
for magnetic return tables are drilled and plugged to trip the
return. Some inexpensive cue balls are out of balance right out of
the box. A good cue ball will start at about $15 - $20. Are cue
balls disappearing with your shadier customers? Try keeping a set
of good ones in the back for your league players.
Second, what about your last recovery? Was the cloth installed
properly? Is there glue on the top of the slate? Glue on the top of
the slate will create a trampoline effect. Balls might roll away from
the pocket or rail. The only way to deal with this is to have the
table recovered again at which time you must remove all of the glue
from the top of the table. NEVER let anyone glue the cloth to the
top of your table.
Q:
Regarding your article
in the December 2001 issue "Maintenance, Maintenance, Maintenance".
We recently purchased a nice pool table for our vacation home from
Golden West Billiards in Portland, Oregon. Upon completion of delivery
and set up we were given guidelines for proper care and maintenance,
which included "never vacuum, always brush in one direction". I have
owned a 9' table in our own home for over 30 years and this is consistent
with what I originally learned as proper cleaning and what I was told
by the table service company that moved our table 5 years ago.
I am interested as to how or why there are two completely opposite
points of view on proper table cleaning. Thanks in advance for any
additional light you may be able to shed on this subject.
--received from the internet sent by: klerulli@aol.com
A:
As you might have noticed from the article, my advice was mostly
directed at tavern and billiard hall owners. These people usually
(not always) invest in a better grade cloth and hopefully a decent
grade install. Unfortunately, some home tables are installed with
a cloth that might not stand up to the ol' shop vac. Especially
if the fit is a bit lacking.
Also, the establishments that sell you a table are in the business
to sell - brushes, more cloth, etc. I am not saying that the advice
was given to you under false pretenses, just that the information
your salesperson had might not be from the experience of maintaining
hundreds of tables. Remember that products and technology change and
what was once true may not be now. There is a type of cloth that is
not the tightest weave, it sheds badly and would need to have this
treatment. I have commercial operators whose tables jam up constantly
because they have used it. This type of cloth can wear very quickly
if you aren't very gentle with it. Of course I advise them to change
it. If this method of care works for you, great! Keep at it. The
tables that see league play see a lot more dirt and grime and need
to have slightly different care than what happens at home.
Commercial tables have ball returns and mechanisms that get gummed
up because of dirt and shedding, a vacuum is the way to go here.
Q:
Is there a proper
tightness or torque to tightening down rails? Some of my rails
will clunk when a ball is hit to them. We have tried tightening
them or loosening them with no results.
A:
As usual with these kinds of
questions, it is difficult to know exactly what you problem is
without more info but, I will attempt to throw a few ideas out there.
I am going to assume that you have one of the typical brands of
coin-op tables.
First, how does the ball behave when hit into the rail? Does it
rebound well or come off and die? You may have crystalized or
otherwise bad rubber that need changing.
Are the rails on your table the ones that came with the table?
Do they look like they fit well or are at an improper height? There
is a practice with some recovery services to change out rails
(without you knowing) so that they can take them back to their shop
for recovery. This happens a lot on Valley and Dynamo tables because
they are so universal and you can end up with old, worn or improperly
fitted rails. Finally and unfortunately there are some tables on
the commercial market that have no support at the end rail and
could be the source of your problem.
Q:
I would like to buy a pool
table (3 1/2' x 7') but I am afraid I don't have enough floor space.
I have never seen anything that gives an area required for the
installation. I hope you can provide me this information because I
really want my own table to practice on. Thank you, Merv
A:
The area needed for any table depends on how YOU play and what YOU
are willing to shoot with. A 3 1/2' x 7' table generally needs about
13' x 16' to accommodate a 58" cue. However, we supply many 52" and
48" cues to home players who really want a table but can't come up
with the optimum space. For a 52" cue the size would be 12' x 15'
and for a 48" cue 11 1/2' x 14 1/2'. This assumes a 38" x 76" playing
area + the length of the cue to each side + 6" of draw to each side.
This formula would give us an optimum space for a 58" cue on an 8'
table at 13 1/2' x 17' and a 9' table at 14' x 18'.
One thing you have to remember when talking to anyone in the
business is there are many styles of players out there. What is
true for one player is not for another and this is a perfect
example. A competitive player puts way more importance on the
cue he/she uses than a home player who sees the game as a social
pastime, neither needs are unimportant. I had a customer who
insisted on putting a 4'x 8' table in a room 10' wide. The 48"
cues get more than a workout!
If you are serious about how you play, I would recommend that you
use this formula to find the size you need for a table: Measure the
playing surface area (the area inside the rails).
To both the width and the length add the length of the cue to both
sides.
Then add the space you want to draw the cue back to both sides and
there is what YOU need.
Q:
How can I find a quality
table? Is there a consumer's report that compares tables by make
and model?
A:
I am not aware of any brand-to-brand billiard table comparison but
many of the web sites supported by manufacturers will have
information on the construction of their particular tables. With
a little information at hand you can do some research to compare.
I will try to address some of the key things to look for.
First thing probably goes without saying, all tables are not created
equal. You must ask yourself what you really want this table to do.
Is it entertainment for the kids, are you looking for an heirloom or
something in between? How the table is constructed and with what
materials should dictate your price.
Low priced tables, those under $1500, are going to have lots of
particle board, brackets, faux finishes and either no slate or
thin slate. If you want a table for the kids to play on and don't
care what happens to it after they fly the coup then by all means
go ahead. Don't look for a table that is going to hold it's value
or even a level at this price range. Many companies will not service
or recover these tables so be careful.
Between $1500 and $2500 it gets more difficult. The trade off in
materials and workmanship gets more confusing. Some parts of the
table may be particle board, others plywood and still others solid
wood. Slate will very in thickness and type. Finishes may be
laminate or veneer. You are not going to find a solid wood table at
this price, so look closely. Look for a table that has the body
completely constructed, not one that has to be put together from
pieces. The only parts should be the legs, rails/pockets and slate.
Every place that a bolt goes should have something sturdy to hold
onto. Plywood is preferable to particle board. The thicker the slate
the better and three piece is better than one piece slate.
The next level is almost as confusing but between $2500 - $3000
dollars you can hope to see more solid wood, especially in the
structural parts of the table. You can get a table made completely
from solid hardwood with furniture finish quality although it may
not have a "Big Name" logo on it. Many of these tables are just as
good and play just as well as the "Big Names." For most folks this
is where you want to be. How good a deal you get may depend on where
you are and what the market is in your area. In our area we can
offer a completely solid maple table with a 1" three piece slate
delivered and set up with good quality cloth and accessories in
this price range. Other suppliers may have to ship farther or pay
more in overhead, etc., so remember that this is a guideline and
not a rule.
At this level and beyond you should look for a body that is
solidly constructed with solid wood cross members in the body.
They should span both the length and the width of the table. The
slate should have wood backing on it to rest completely on the
interior body structure. The slate should be 1", three piece,
oversized slate. No matter what you have heard, 3 piece slate is
better. The rails should be solid wood and bolt directly to the
slate. You should be able to get diamond inlays of mother of pearl
or such, not plastic buttons. Pockets should be leather and not
plastic. Finally, the cloth should be at least a 21 oz. 75/25
wool/nylon blend.
Beyond the $3000 - $3500 range you are going to be paying for the
extras; the "name," prettier pockets, extra carving, fancy wood,
fast cloth and custom or one of a kind type tables.
The best advice I can give you is to go shopping, compare these
items from table to table. Make sure you ask if installation is
included. What kind of accessories and cloth are included. Do
they have guarantees and stand behind their install? How much
experience do their installers have? Looking at a web site? Make
doubly sure you ask these questions of the online resellers.
There is a lot of false information on some of the so called
wholesale sites. Get your info in writing!
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